Hydrocarbon-gas engine



Nu..eo7,6|s. Patented July I9, |898. w o. woRTH.

HYDROCABBUN GAS ENGINE. (Application filed Juy 1, 1895. Renewed July 3,1.897.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets- Sheet l.

WI/VESSE'S No. 607,6!3. Patented July I9. |898.

W. 0. WORTH.

HYDBOCARBON GAS ENGINE.

(A'pplication filed July 1, 1895. Renewed July 3, 1897.) (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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e UN-TTEE STATES PATENT OEETEE.

IVILLIAM O. WORTH, OF BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN.

HYDROCARBON-GAS ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,613, dated July1.9, 1898.

Application filed July 1, 1895. Renewed J'uly 3, 1897. Serial No.643,467. (No model.)

T0 all 1072/0772/ it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM O. IVORTH, of Benton Harbor, in the county ofBerrien and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Hydrocarbon-Gas Engines; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofrreferencemarked thereon, which form part of this specification.

This'invention is an improved double-acting gas or hydrocarbon' engine,and its objects are to obtain great efficiency in operation, economy ofgas or fuel, and simplicity of construction; and to these ends theinvention consists in the construction and combination of parts' setforth in the claims, and the engine illustrated'in the accompanyingdrawings embodies the invention and forms the basis of the followingdetailed description.

In said drawings,Figure lis a side elevation of an engine with a rotaryair-blower. Fig. 2 is a similar view of an engine with a tandem-cylinderair-pump and air-receiver. Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal sectionof the engine, cylinder, and valves on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. is avertical longitudinal section on line 4 1i, Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is atransverse section on line 5 5, Fig..3.

The working cylinder A of the engine has double walls, between whichwater or air can be circulated to reduce the temperature thereof. In oneside of said cylinder, and near the center thereof, are two ports B b,which communicate with the interior of the cylinder near the centerthereof and with a cylindrical pump-chamber C, in which is a cylindricalpiston and valve D, divided centrally by a partition D', to which thepiston-rod D2 is attached, said rod being connected to a slide DS,connected by a pitman D4to an eccentric D5 on the main shaft, so as tobe reciprocated from the latter. This piston-valve is provided withports CZ d in its side adapted to respectively, but alternately,register with ports B l), and it will be noticed that the ports are notregistered until the gas is compressed in the pump cylinder. Thus thepump-piston acts first as a piston to compress the gas and then as avalve to permit the compressed gas to escape into the cylinder throughthe proper port.

Gas is admitted into either end of cylinder C through pipes or ports c,provided with check-valves c and connected to a gas-supply pipe c2.

Between ports B l) in cylinder A is a main air-inlet port a, whichcommunicates bya passage or pipe a with, as indicated in Fig. 1, arotary blower G or, asA shown in Fig. 2, with an air-receiver A3 in thebase of the pump-cylinder P.

In the bottom and at center of the cylinder A is an exit-port F, whichcommunicates with an escape passage or pipe f to conduct away the burnedgases.

The piston E in cylinder A constitutes both a working piston and mainvalve. It is about half as long as the interior of cylinder and hasshort 'recesses e e' in its opposite ends, adapted to register with porta as the piston nears the ends of its opposite strokes. The piston alsohas recesses F f' in its opposite ends and lower side, adapted toalternately register with port F when the cylinder is at the oppositeends of its stroke.

Piston E is connected to rod E and the latter to the crankshaft bycross-heads and pitmen, as in ordinary engines.

I-I designates a pipe tapped through the wall of the cylinder midway ofits length and supplying a lubricant to the piston in position tolubricate it thoroughly, the piston E being of such length that pipe I-Icannot communicate with the explosion-chambers.V

Instead of providing a pump and reservoir for each engine or where verylarge engines are t0 be used I employ a rotary blower G, which may bedriven from the main shaft, as indicated in Fig. l, or by other suitablemeans, an independent fan-motor being preferable where a large engine ora battery of small ones is employed. The blower is connected directly tothe port a' of the engine, and as soon as this port opens quantities ofair are blown through the exploding-chamber, driving out the burnedgases and filling the chamber with pure air, the draft of fresh airpouring through the cylinder as long as the air and exhaust ports areuncovered and preventing burning or undue heating of the IOO piston andcylinder and enabling a waterjacket to be dispensed with. Thus theblower does away with an air-reservoir, and

the air is used to clear the exploding-chamber of burned gases, fill itwith pure air, and cool the internal wall of the cylinder. In practiceseveral times the volume of air that can be contained in theexploding-chamber should be blown through it after each explosion. Theemployment of a blower connected directly to the air-inletport of theengine (doing away with a reservoir) I consider a decided improvement inthe operation of gas engines and is a great practical and economicaladvantage in large engines or power plants. However, for isolated andsmall engines the pump P and reservoir may be used, as indicated in Fig.2.

The pump-cylinder P in Figs. 2 and 8 is of ordinary construction, but ofgreater crosssection than cylinder A, and may be arranged tandem withthe latter and its piston P be connected to piston E by an extension ofrod E', as shown. The pump-cylinder P is provided with suitable inletand outlet Valves andports, so as to compress air on both strokes of thepiston into receiver A3.

Practically it is desirable to have the pump of such capacity thatenough air will be kept in the reservoir to cause three or four timesmore air than the explosion-chamber of the engine can contain to enterand iiow through said chambers after each explosion therein, so that theair will thoroughly drive the burned gases out of the explosion-chambersafter each explosion, and this forcible' oversupply of air materiallyassists in keeping down the temperature of the cylinder.

The gases may be red in the explodingchambers by any suitable igniters.

The operation of this engine is exceedingly simple. For example, as thepiston E nears the end of its rearward stroke port F is uncovered andthe explod ed gases pass out of the cylinder. Simultaneously or directlyafter uncovering of port F port a is uncovered and volumes of fresh airrush into the explodingchamber, expelling all the waste gases andfilling it with fresh air. Then as piston E is driven forward ports a Fare closed, and thereupon piston D, having compressed a charge of gas inthe forward end of cylinder C, brings port d into register with portb,and the highlycompressed gas is injected into the forward end ofcylinderand mingled with the air therein before the piston E hascompressed the air therein. The piston D moving backward in cylinder Ccuts off the outer end of port l), and piston E moving forward incylinder A closes the inner end of port Z). As the piston E reaches theforward end of its stroke, compressing the charge of fresh air and gasestherein, ports F and a are again uncovered, as above explained, allowingthe burned gases to escape andXbe driven out of the rearexplosion-chamber, which is filled with fresh air, and after the pistonhas been moved back enough to cover lports a F once more piston D allowsthe charge of compressed gas in the rear end of cylinder C to enter therear exploding-chamber through port B, and the charge of mixed air andgas therein is compressed by the backward stroke of the piston E due tothe explosion of gases in the forward when properly constructed, isimpossible.

The main piston, in fact, forms the main engine-valve and controls theexhaust and the main air-inlet port and may also alone control thegas-ports for both explosion-chambers, the pump piston-valve beingemployed principally as an additional precaution against back-firing.

In practice an auxiliary air-holder should be provided. A sufficientsupply of air can be stored for use when starting up the engine; butthis is a known expedient, and it need not be illustrated or furtherdescribed herein.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent thereon, is

l. In a double-acting gas-engine, the combination of the cylinder,having an exploding-chamber in each end, and an exhaustport, anair-inlet port and gas-inlet ports on IOO opposite sides of theair-inlet port, so arranged near the center of the cylinder that thepiston forms the main valve for controlling said ports for bothexplosion-chambers; with said piston,a compressed-air supplycommunicating with the air-inlet port, and means for injecting a chargeof highly-compressed gas into the explosion-chambers of the cylindersafter the exhaust and air-inlet ports are closed, substantially asdescribed. y

2. In a double-acting gas-engine the combination of the cylinder havingan explosionchamber in each end and piston, with exhaust, air-inlet, andgas-inlet, ports; all arranged near the center of the cylinder so thatthe piston forms the main valve for controlling the said ports for bothexplosion-chambers, substantially as described.

' 3. In a gas-engine, the combination of a cylinder having an exploding-chamber at each end and an elongated piston; with the exhaust, air,and gas ports, so arranged near the center of the cylinder that thepower-piston also constitutes the controlling-Valve for said ports, acompressed-air receiver communicating with the air-inlet port, anair-pump for forcing air into said receiver, and means for injecting acharge of highly-compressed gas into the explosion-chambers of thecylinders after the exhaust and air-inlet ports are closed,substantially as described.

IIO

4. In a double-acting gas-engine, the combination of the cylinder havingan explodingchamber in each end, and an elongated piston; with a singlecentral exhaust-port, a single central air-inlet port; and two gas-inletports on opposite sides of the air-inlet port so arranged that thepiston forms the main valve for controlling the said ports for bothexplosion chambers, a compressed air receiver commu nicating with theair-inlet port, an air-pump for forcing air into said receiver; andmeans for injecting a charge of highlycompressed gas into theexplosion-chambers of the cylinders after the exhaust and air-inletports are closed,substantially as described.

5. In-a gas-engine the combination of the cylinder having a centralexhaust-port, a central air-inlet port,v and a gas-inlet port at eachside of the air-inlet port and the'power-piston in the cylinder formingthe main valve for opening and closing the proper gas-inlet portalternately, and also controlling the exhaust and air-inlet ports; withthe gas-pump cylinder, the port therein connecting with the gasinletport, and the ported piston in said pumpcylinder whereby the gas isprimarily compressed and then allowed to escape suddenly into theexplosion-chambers, after the exhaust-port is closed, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a gas-engine the combination of the cylinderhaving anexplosion-chamber at each end, an exhaust-port, two gas-inlet ports near4its center and an air-inlet port; and the power- WILLIAM O. WORTH.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR E. DowELL, JAMES R. MANsFIELD.

